Since the advent of Internet marketing and sales, the percentage of sales taking place over the Internet continues to increase. The accuracy of the product information presented on the Internet is critical for such sales to occur. This poses a recurring problem for a seller, who must keep the list of products, as well as the information relevant to those products, current. For a buyer, access to neutral, third party advice about products is important in sales over the Internet because there is no salesperson present to answer questions. For both the seller and buyer, it is equally important that the product ultimately sold and delivered to the buyer matches the qualities and attributes desired by the buyer. Delivering a product that meets the buyer's expectations yields a satisfied buyer and reduces merchandise returns to the seller.
One aspect of online retailing is the provision of online reviews. Online buyers cannot personally handle the actual merchandise to gauge quality and explore the features of the merchandise. Online buyers therefore typically resort to perusing online reviews. Common types of online reviews include the “comments” or “reviews” sections provided on retailers' websites. Other types of online reviews include third-party websites devoted exclusively to the review of both products and the retailers themselves. While such online reviews are often helpful, they can also be misleading due to the unknown relationship between the product being reviewed and the person writing the review. Thus, for example, a disgruntled buyer with an axe to grind against a seller might write a scathing review of an otherwise fine product. Conversely, an employee of a manufacturer might write a glowing review of that manufacturer's products, despite such products being sub-par. In short, online reviews have to be digested with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Another often difficult aspect of online retailing is keeping the product offerings and the data associated with each product accurate and current. Data associated with products, such as product specifications, product availability, price, etc., change frequently. This requires web sites displaying the products on the Internet to continuously update to match these changes, which is laborious and ongoing.
There remains a long-felt and unmet need to deliver current product information with accurate, third party reviews of the products and links to sellers who are offering the reviewed products.